Introduction
Before you invest time and money into becoming a driving instructor it is important that you are able to distinguish between those organisations who genuinely want to recruit you and those who simply want to enrol you onto an expensive driving instructor training course.
Background to the Industry
All the major driving schools (e.g. LDC, BSM and the AA) train their own driving instructors. Up until about 12 years ago, driving schools did virtually all the driving instructor training in the UK and there were only a few small independent driving instructor training organisations.
However since then, a number of large driving instructor training companies/colleges have emerged and several driving schools have switched to selling driving instructor training as their schools declined. The end result has been a dramatic increase in the number of people who are being trained each year to become a driving instructor. But despite this increase in the amount of driving instructor training, the number of people qualifying each year has only marginally increased, indicating that these driving instructor training companies must in truth achieve very poor results.
Most driving instructor training companies/colleges offer some form of guaranteed placement with an unnamed driving school (or a new driving school of their own with no track record) to entice you into buying the driving instructor training. Driving schools that are little more than car rental firms who offer driving lessons as if it was a taxi service. Many also quote the AA Driving School or BSM or indeed LDC and give the impression that they guarantee a position with them when in fact there is no commitment from the named driving school whatsoever.
About 10 years ago a number of the larger driving instructor training organisations/colleges started up their own driving schools and offered so-called ‘placements’ with them. For example, Red driving school was started in 1999 and LetsDrive in 2001, both trading names of LVG Limited, the same company that also uses the trading names The Instructor College (TIC) and The Instructor College Direct. Whilst both these driving schools have massively advertised for new driving instructors in newspapers, on radio and more recently on TV throughout the UK on virtually a daily basis since they started all those years ago, relatively few cars have appeared on the road when you consider the many tens of thousands of people who have probably purchased driving instructor training courses with the intention of joining them. Both companies showed large losses before they where amalgamated into LVG Limited fuelling speculation that these driving schools were set up primarily to generate driving instructor training course sales.
Despite claims that LetsDrive had a highly successful expanding driving school it was closed down after 6 years in August 2007, however, driving instructor training course sales and driving instructor training were moved to The Instructor College Direct / Red driving school operation. The new operation will continue to sell driving instructor training courses on the back of having a guaranteed job with a highly successful driving school but the driving school now promoted will be Red driving school.
Instructor training factories
The Instructor College (TIC) claim to train more people to become driving instructors in the UK than the rest of the industry put together. If true, this would indicate that they potentialy sell about 10,000 driving instructor training courses/jobs per annum based on the number of people who apply to become driving instructors as published by the DSA. If true this is over 20 times the number of driving instructor training courses provided by LDC each year and probably 5 times the combined number provided by BSM, the AA and LDC.
Any company primarily dependent on driving instructor training course sales for its income has to continually train larger numbers of people to survive and prosper. Not surprisingly, to process such numbers does require these types of organisations to employ production line training rather than a carefully crafted course tailored to meet the needs of each individual student or the DSA examination schedules. Whilst mass production methods might be a great way to build cars it is a very ineffective and impersonal way to develop people and their instructional skills.
What ORDIT is not
ORDIT (Official Register of Driving Instructor Training) was established to protect the public from substandard instructor training by setting ‘minimum’ standards of competence for training providers. Being on ORDIT does not necessarily guarantee that the company is financially sound, that it will provide sufficient training in a timely manner or that it will deliver the career promises it may have made. For example, LetsDrive recorded a cumulative loss of £1.2 million in its accounts published in March 2006 but still managed to gain entry onto ORDIT in May 2006. The LetsDrive driving school was closed down in August 2007, however, driving instructor training course sales and training were moved to The Instructor College Direct / Red driving school operation. Never-the-less as a minimum any purchaser of driving instructor training should ensure the company is on ORDIT
High-pressure timeshare selling techniques
When you start to look at the possibility of becoming a driving instructor you also need to be wary of those independent driving instructor training colleges and other such organisations that use high-pressure timeshare selling techniques. When you call such organisations they usually try to book you into a group selling session as quickly as possible (i.e. within a day or two). At these meetings, an experienced sales presenter will work the group into an excited frenzy by exaggerating the career prospects, making the exams seem incredibly easy and making false claims about the industry. For example, they may claim there is a national shortage of driving instructors or they may understate the number of active instructors on the register (currently 41,124). They might also claim that driving schools are ringing them everyday desperate for driving instructors or suggest that obtaining 40 hours work per week is no problem etc.
Remember, if the instructor training college/organisation is only offering a guaranteed position with an unnamed driving school or a superficial driving school they know you will not actually join, it is easy for them to exaggerate the earnings potential and career prospects. At the end of the meeting they would get you to book an assessment drive or joining class so that they can close the sale.
Not all driving instructor training companies use group selling especially those masquerading as driving schools (i.e. driving schools that make the vast majority, if not all, of their income from driving instructor training). However, they still exaggerate the support and earnings potential because they know only a very select few will ever qualify or take up the job offered once they discover the extra costs and time delays involved before they can join, the fact that the franchise simply doesn’t work in the majority of cases or the fact that they don’t offer a trainee licence option despite this being essential to qualify with their driving instructor training course.
Training companies are renowned for offering some kind of incentive to get you to pay on the day and sign an agreement on the spot. If you do not sign on the spot you will find that you are continually pestered on the phone or written to with special offers and further discounts. Some organisations have refined their sales techniques to such an extent that they can get you to part with your money or sign an extortionate buy-now-pay-later agreement within just a few days of your call. Such driving instructor training organisations are trying to get you to buy a driving instructor training course before you realise exactly what the industry and job is really like.
Decide in haste repent at leisure
A decision of this importance should not be hurried and should be carefully considered over a number of weeks or indeed months after collecting all the facts together. At LDC we insist on holding a one-to-one meeting with you to help you decide if the career is right for you. Following this meeting, if all goes well, we will write to you making you a firm course and career offer. We then ask you to carefully consider the offer over a few weeks before making any decisions, signing any documents or paying any money.
Over the past 10 years there has been an explosion in the number of driving instructor training colleges and 'schools' offering 'guarenteed placements'. Ironically, despite this increase, the actual number of driving instructors on the DSA ADI register has only marginally grown over the last 12 years. This would indicate that these driving instructor training colleges and other such training organisations have had in the main little effect on our industry and must in truth achieve very poor results. Some are therefore clearly profiteering at both the industry’s and the public’s expense.